The Gotham Film and Media Institute laid off two key staffers this week after canceling the Project Market, where seminal indie breakouts from “Clerks” to “Moonlight” have gathered early financial resources, for the first time in its 45-year history. The Project Market, formerly known as the Independent Feature Film Market, was called off after the Gotham was informed by the WGA that writers would be in violation of their contract with the union if they participated in the event.
Senior programming director Milton Tabbot, who has worked at the organization since 1996, was let go along with director of narrative programming Zach Mandinach. Tabbot and Mandinach were the core staff responsible for managing the Project Market, while Tabbot more recently oversaw the juries for the nominees of the organization’s signature event, the Gotham Awards.
In a statement scheduled to go out to Gotham members Friday, the organization said Tabbot and...
Senior programming director Milton Tabbot, who has worked at the organization since 1996, was let go along with director of narrative programming Zach Mandinach. Tabbot and Mandinach were the core staff responsible for managing the Project Market, while Tabbot more recently oversaw the juries for the nominees of the organization’s signature event, the Gotham Awards.
In a statement scheduled to go out to Gotham members Friday, the organization said Tabbot and...
- 6/29/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The IFP tweaked its Gotham Awards categories this year to better reflect the rich landscape on the small screen, and nominated two animated series in the process.
“Tuca & Bertie” and “Undone” will both compete for breakthrough short-form series honors this year, vying with “Pen15,” “Ramy” and “Russian Doll.” “Chernobyl,” “David Makes Man,” “My Brilliant Friend,” “Unbelievable” and “When They See Us” are competing for the long-form honors.
To qualify for the short-form category, episodes had to be 39 minutes or fewer, while episodes for long-form series had to be 40 minutes or longer. When the Ifp originally established these categories in 2015, long-form episodes had to be 30 minutes or longer while short-form episodes had to be 20 minutes or shorter in order to qualify.
Early winners tilted toward lower-profile web series, but with the advent of streamers, series have become creatively adventurous, causing the Gotham board to reconsider its guidelines.
“For the last...
“Tuca & Bertie” and “Undone” will both compete for breakthrough short-form series honors this year, vying with “Pen15,” “Ramy” and “Russian Doll.” “Chernobyl,” “David Makes Man,” “My Brilliant Friend,” “Unbelievable” and “When They See Us” are competing for the long-form honors.
To qualify for the short-form category, episodes had to be 39 minutes or fewer, while episodes for long-form series had to be 40 minutes or longer. When the Ifp originally established these categories in 2015, long-form episodes had to be 30 minutes or longer while short-form episodes had to be 20 minutes or shorter in order to qualify.
Early winners tilted toward lower-profile web series, but with the advent of streamers, series have become creatively adventurous, causing the Gotham board to reconsider its guidelines.
“For the last...
- 11/29/2019
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Nineteen years after he attended the Gotham Awards for the first time, Jeffrey Sharp is overseeing the closely watched kudofest as the Independent Filmmaker Project’s new executive director.
Under former exec director Joana Vicente’s nine-year tenure at Ifp, the Gotham Awards expanded from a small New York-centric dinner that honored the year’s best under-the-radar films to a critical early campaign event for underdog Oscar contenders. During a three-year run from 2014 to 2016, the kudofest honored “Birdman,” “Spotlight” and “Moonlight,” respectively, and each film went on to garner an Oscar for best picture. Vicente, who exited to become co-head of the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, was also in part responsible for adding acting categories to the Gothams in 2013. That helped it draw big names including Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) and Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”).
But in 2000, Sharp says, the kudofest was a low-key, quirky event that didn’t draw mainstream media attention.
Under former exec director Joana Vicente’s nine-year tenure at Ifp, the Gotham Awards expanded from a small New York-centric dinner that honored the year’s best under-the-radar films to a critical early campaign event for underdog Oscar contenders. During a three-year run from 2014 to 2016, the kudofest honored “Birdman,” “Spotlight” and “Moonlight,” respectively, and each film went on to garner an Oscar for best picture. Vicente, who exited to become co-head of the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, was also in part responsible for adding acting categories to the Gothams in 2013. That helped it draw big names including Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) and Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”).
But in 2000, Sharp says, the kudofest was a low-key, quirky event that didn’t draw mainstream media attention.
- 11/29/2019
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The producers of Oscar winners Moonlight and Icarus, Oscar nominee Carol and Showtime series Billions, are among those bringing new projects to the Ifp Project Forum, which runs during the 40th Ifp Week in New York.
This year’s particularly buzzy Project Forum slate will comprise 150 U.S. and international films, series, digital and audio projects (for the first time) in different stages of development.
The co-production market will feature new narrative films and series from producers and Ep’s including Lamb On The Throne from Adele Romanski (Moonlight) and Sara Murphy (Land Ho!), Breezin’ from Amy Lo (Nancy), The Gymnast from Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Billions), The Fugitive Game from Ryan Cunningham (Broad City), Sleepwalkfrom Ryan Zacarias (A Ciambra), Bitterroot from Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim (Columbus) and Nine Days from Jason Michael Berman (Amateur), Mette-Marie Kongsved (I Don’t Feel At Home In This World...
This year’s particularly buzzy Project Forum slate will comprise 150 U.S. and international films, series, digital and audio projects (for the first time) in different stages of development.
The co-production market will feature new narrative films and series from producers and Ep’s including Lamb On The Throne from Adele Romanski (Moonlight) and Sara Murphy (Land Ho!), Breezin’ from Amy Lo (Nancy), The Gymnast from Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Billions), The Fugitive Game from Ryan Cunningham (Broad City), Sleepwalkfrom Ryan Zacarias (A Ciambra), Bitterroot from Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim (Columbus) and Nine Days from Jason Michael Berman (Amateur), Mette-Marie Kongsved (I Don’t Feel At Home In This World...
- 7/26/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
July 20 Update: Ifp’s 39th Film Week takes place September 17-21 in Brooklyn, New York.
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) has announced more than 110 narrative and documentary features and 35 television, digital, web and app-based series to be presented at the 39th annual Ifp Film Week.
Films include Franka Potente’s directorial debut Home and Clea DuVall’s Layne in the No Borders Intrenattional Co-Production Market. Narrative Lab entries include Cubby by Mark Blane and Ben Mankoff, and Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs.
Of the narrative selections, 70% of the entries are directed by “diverse creators” and 30% by women. The film selection was curated under the guidance of Ifp deputy director / head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot.
The slate for Ifp’s Project Forum includes both scripted and non-fiction series (limited, mini and full season) in all formats and genres.
This year’s serialised content slate includes scripted long-form series likeThe Commons, which...
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) has announced more than 110 narrative and documentary features and 35 television, digital, web and app-based series to be presented at the 39th annual Ifp Film Week.
Films include Franka Potente’s directorial debut Home and Clea DuVall’s Layne in the No Borders Intrenattional Co-Production Market. Narrative Lab entries include Cubby by Mark Blane and Ben Mankoff, and Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs.
Of the narrative selections, 70% of the entries are directed by “diverse creators” and 30% by women. The film selection was curated under the guidance of Ifp deputy director / head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot.
The slate for Ifp’s Project Forum includes both scripted and non-fiction series (limited, mini and full season) in all formats and genres.
This year’s serialised content slate includes scripted long-form series likeThe Commons, which...
- 7/20/2017
- ScreenDaily
Our bi-weekly Film Festival Roundup column explores notable stories and news updates from the circuit.
Long before Barry Jenkins or Laura Poitras won their first Oscars or Robert Eggers made one of 2016’s highest-grossing indies, or Denis Villeneuve graduated to Hollywood’s A-list, they were still just independent filmmakers with a dream — a dream that needed to be packaged, sold, and produced. Enter Ifp Film Week, home of one of the world’s most forward-thinking film markets, and the U.S.’s only market that presents new works across all platforms, all the better to serve their creator’s visions.
This year’s 2017 Ifp Film Week, presented by the Independent Film Project, has unveiled its slate for this year’s film project section. The lineup includes 110 narrative and documentary projects in development from over 15 countries. Curated by Ifp’s Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson and Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot,...
Long before Barry Jenkins or Laura Poitras won their first Oscars or Robert Eggers made one of 2016’s highest-grossing indies, or Denis Villeneuve graduated to Hollywood’s A-list, they were still just independent filmmakers with a dream — a dream that needed to be packaged, sold, and produced. Enter Ifp Film Week, home of one of the world’s most forward-thinking film markets, and the U.S.’s only market that presents new works across all platforms, all the better to serve their creator’s visions.
This year’s 2017 Ifp Film Week, presented by the Independent Film Project, has unveiled its slate for this year’s film project section. The lineup includes 110 narrative and documentary projects in development from over 15 countries. Curated by Ifp’s Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson and Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot,...
- 7/20/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Ifp’s 39th Film Week takes place September 17-21 in Brooklyn, New York.
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) has announced more than 35 television, digital, web and app-based series to be presented at the 39th annual Ifp Film Week.
The slate for Ifp’s Project Forum includes both scripted and non-fiction series (limited, mini and full season) in all formats and genres.
This year’s serialised content slate includes scripted long-form series likeThe Commons, which Laura E Davis wrote, directed and served as executive producer on, and scripted short-form series such as Caught In The Web, written and directed by Stian Hafstad.
Also featured is a non-fiction long-form category with six films including director Cumari: Rainforest To Table, directed and produced by Patricia FInneran, and non-fiction short-form series like Waking Dream, directed by Theo Rigby and produced by Rebekah Fergusson.
Under the curatorial leadership of Amy Dotson, Ifp’s deputy director and head of programming and Milton Tabbot, [link...
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) has announced more than 35 television, digital, web and app-based series to be presented at the 39th annual Ifp Film Week.
The slate for Ifp’s Project Forum includes both scripted and non-fiction series (limited, mini and full season) in all formats and genres.
This year’s serialised content slate includes scripted long-form series likeThe Commons, which Laura E Davis wrote, directed and served as executive producer on, and scripted short-form series such as Caught In The Web, written and directed by Stian Hafstad.
Also featured is a non-fiction long-form category with six films including director Cumari: Rainforest To Table, directed and produced by Patricia FInneran, and non-fiction short-form series like Waking Dream, directed by Theo Rigby and produced by Rebekah Fergusson.
Under the curatorial leadership of Amy Dotson, Ifp’s deputy director and head of programming and Milton Tabbot, [link...
- 7/19/2017
- ScreenDaily
Ifp’s 39th Film Week takes place September 17-21 in Brooklyn, New York.
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) has announced more than 35 television, digital, web and app-based series to be presented at the 39th annual Ifp Film Week.
The slate for Ifp’s Project Forum includes both scripted and non-fiction series (limited, mini and full season) in all formats and genres.
This year’s serialised content slate includes scripted long-form series likeThe Commons, which Laura E Davis wrote, directed and served as executive producer on, and scripted short-form series such as Caught In The Web, written and directed by Stian Hafstad.
Also featured is a non-fiction long-form category with six films including director Cumari: Rainforest To Table, directed and produced by Patricia FInneran, and non-fiction short-form series like Waking Dream, directed by Theo Rigby and produced by Rebekah Fergusson.
Under the curatorial leadership of Amy Dotson, Ifp’s deputy director and head of programming and Milton Tabbot, [link...
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) has announced more than 35 television, digital, web and app-based series to be presented at the 39th annual Ifp Film Week.
The slate for Ifp’s Project Forum includes both scripted and non-fiction series (limited, mini and full season) in all formats and genres.
This year’s serialised content slate includes scripted long-form series likeThe Commons, which Laura E Davis wrote, directed and served as executive producer on, and scripted short-form series such as Caught In The Web, written and directed by Stian Hafstad.
Also featured is a non-fiction long-form category with six films including director Cumari: Rainforest To Table, directed and produced by Patricia FInneran, and non-fiction short-form series like Waking Dream, directed by Theo Rigby and produced by Rebekah Fergusson.
Under the curatorial leadership of Amy Dotson, Ifp’s deputy director and head of programming and Milton Tabbot, [link...
- 7/19/2017
- ScreenDaily
Watch Five Great Films this Weekend at our MoMA “Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You” Series
Filmmaker‘s annual collaboration with the Museum of Modern’s Film Department, the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You, series returns this weekend for its 11th edition. Curated by MoMA’s Sophie Cavoulacos the Ifp’s Milton Tabbot and Zachary Mandinach, and, from Filmmaker, Vadim Rizov and myself, the series is our pick of five great films that, in this download, streaming, pay per view era, deserve most especially to be seen on the big screen. Each year we think we’re going to struggle to find five films that meet our exacting standards — five pictures that both haven’t gotten distribution […]...
- 12/16/2016
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
More than half of the Independent Filmmaker Project’s (Ifp) 140 titles at the upcoming Project Forum in Septembers’ Ifp Independent Film Week hail from women.
Announcing the slate on Wednesday, Ifp executive director Joana Vicente noted the strong representation of women when she praised the organisation’s “long-standing history of supporting diverse voices.”
In recent years Ifp has played a key role in launching the first films of many of today’s most adventurous women filmmakers including Desiree Akhavan, Anna Boden, Rama Burshtein, Debra Granik, Leah Meyerhoff, Laura Poitras, Gillian Robespierre and Dee Rees.
Under the curatorial leadership of deputy director/head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot, this year’s nexus for filmmakers and executives comprises Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers programme, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight On Documentaries.
Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers highlights creative visionaries and showcases narrative features and web series in development new to the independent scene.
Short...
Announcing the slate on Wednesday, Ifp executive director Joana Vicente noted the strong representation of women when she praised the organisation’s “long-standing history of supporting diverse voices.”
In recent years Ifp has played a key role in launching the first films of many of today’s most adventurous women filmmakers including Desiree Akhavan, Anna Boden, Rama Burshtein, Debra Granik, Leah Meyerhoff, Laura Poitras, Gillian Robespierre and Dee Rees.
Under the curatorial leadership of deputy director/head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot, this year’s nexus for filmmakers and executives comprises Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers programme, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight On Documentaries.
Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers highlights creative visionaries and showcases narrative features and web series in development new to the independent scene.
Short...
- 7/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
More than half of the Independent Filmmaker Project’s (Ifp) 140 titles at the upcoming Project Forum in Septembers’ Ifp Independent Film Week hail from women.
Announcing the slate on Wednesday, Ifp executive director Joana Vicente noted the strong representation of women when she praised the organisation’s “long-standing history of supporting diverse voices.”
In recent years Ifp has played a key role in launching the first films of many of today’s most adventurous women filmmakers including Desiree Akhavan, Anna Boden, Rama Burshtein, Debra Granik, Leah Meyerhoff, Laura Poitras, Gillian Robespierre and Dee Rees.
Under the curatorial leadership of deputy director/head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot, this year’s nexus for filmmakers and executives comprises Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers programme, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight On Documentaries.
Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers highlights creative visionaries and showcases narrative features and web series in development new to the independent scene.
Short...
Announcing the slate on Wednesday, Ifp executive director Joana Vicente noted the strong representation of women when she praised the organisation’s “long-standing history of supporting diverse voices.”
In recent years Ifp has played a key role in launching the first films of many of today’s most adventurous women filmmakers including Desiree Akhavan, Anna Boden, Rama Burshtein, Debra Granik, Leah Meyerhoff, Laura Poitras, Gillian Robespierre and Dee Rees.
Under the curatorial leadership of deputy director/head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot, this year’s nexus for filmmakers and executives comprises Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers programme, No Borders International Co-Production Market and Spotlight On Documentaries.
Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers highlights creative visionaries and showcases narrative features and web series in development new to the independent scene.
Short...
- 7/22/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) announced today the full slate of 140 projects selected for its esteemed Project Forum at the upcoming Ifp Independent Film Week, running September 20-25, 2015 at Lincoln Center in New York City. Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson and Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, Ifp Project Forum is a meetings-driven forum connecting filmmakers who have new narrative and documentary projects in development, production, or post-production with key industry executives interested in identifying projects with which to become involved at the development, financing, or distribution stages. A primary outcome for […]...
- 7/22/2015
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) announced today the full slate of 140 projects selected for its esteemed Project Forum at the upcoming Ifp Independent Film Week, running September 20-25, 2015 at Lincoln Center in New York City. Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson and Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, Ifp Project Forum is a meetings-driven forum connecting filmmakers who have new narrative and documentary projects in development, production, or post-production with key industry executives interested in identifying projects with which to become involved at the development, financing, or distribution stages. A primary outcome for […]...
- 7/22/2015
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Ifp announced its 2014 slate of 133 new films in development and works in progress selected for its esteemed Project Forum at Independent Film Week. This one-of-a-kind event brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new projects by nurturing the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers. Through the Project Forum, creatives connect with financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programming Milton Tabbot, this one-of-a-kind event takes place September 14-18, 2014 at Lincoln Center supporting bold new content from a wide variety of domestic and international artists.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
“As we set to embark on our 36th Independent Film Week, we are impressed by the outstanding slate of both U.S. and international projects selected for this year’s Project Forum,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of Ifp. “We know that the industry will be as excited as we are with the accomplished storytellers and their diverse and boundary pushing films.”
Featured works at the 2014 Independent Film Week include filmmakers and content creators from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From documentarians Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How To Nail A Dictator"), and Penny Lane ("Our Nixon") to Michelangelo Frammartino ("Quattro Volte") and Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), as well as new work from critically acclaimed artists and directors Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Travis Matthews ("Interior. Leather. Bar") and Yen Tan ("Pit Stop").
Independent Film Week brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new documentary and narrative works-in-progress and support the future of storytelling. The program nurtures the work of both emerging and established independent artists and filmmakers through the facilitation of over 3,500+ custom, one-to-one meetings with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences. In recent years, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene including Rama Burshtein ("Fill The Void"), Derek Cianfrance ("Blue Valentine"), Marshall Curry ("If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth LIberation Front"), Laura Poitras ("The Oath"), Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").
For the full 2014 Project Forum slate visit Here
New For 2014
Evenly split between documentary and narrative features, selected projects hail from throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada, as well Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. New this year, Ifp will be including web series in it programming, as well as spotlighting Latin & Central American artists and content with 15 projects featured across all programs in the Forum.
In a joint effort to recognize the importance of career and creative sustainability, Ifp and Durga Entertainment have partnered on a new $20,000 filmmaker grant for an alumnus of Ifp. The grant is intended for active, working filmmakers who are also balancing a filmmaking career with parenting. The grant provides a $20,000 unrestricted prize to encourage the recipient to continue on her or his career path of making quality independent films. American directors or screenwriters working in narrative film who have participated in the Ifp Filmmaker Labs or Ifp Independent Film Week's Emerging Storytellers or No-Borders International Co-Production market are encouraged to apply by the deadline of August 8, 2014.
Narrative Feature Highlights
Narrative features and webseries in Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers and No Borders International Co-Production Market sections highlight new work from top emerging and established creative visionaries on the U.S. and international independent scene.
This year’s slate includes new feature scripts featuring directors Dev Benegal ("Road, Movie"), Alexis Dos Santos ("Unmade Beds"), Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin ("Now, Forager"), Michelangelo Frammartino ("Le Quattro Volte"),Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Rashaad Ernesto Green ("Gun Hill Road"), Aurora Guerrero ("Mosquita Y Mari"), Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"),Alison Klayman ("Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry"), Travis Mathews ("Interior. Leather Bar"), Stacie Passon ("Concussion"), Yen Tan ("Pit Stop"), as well as up-an-coming actor/directors Karrie Crouse ("Land Ho!") and Peter Vack ("Fort Tilden""I Believe in Unicorns").
Producers and executive producers of note attached to participating projects include Jennifer Dubin and Cora Olson ("Good Dick"), Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams ("Hellion"),Laura Heberton ("Gayby"), Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Kishori Rajan ("Gimme the Loot"), Adele Romanski ("The Myth of the American Sleepover"), Kim Sherman ("A Teacher"), Susan Stover ("High Art"), and Alicia Van Couvering ("Tiny Furniture").
Web Storytellers Highlights
For the first time this year, Ifp presents a dedicated spotlight within the Rbc’s Emerging Storytellers program for creators developing episodic content for digital platforms. The inaugural slate for the Web Storytellers spotlight includes new works from filmmakers Desiree Akhavan ("Appropriate Behavior", HBO’s Girls), Calvin Reeder ("The Rambler"), and Gregory Bayne ("Person of Interest"), as well as producers Elisabeth Holm ("Obvious Child"), Susan Leber ( "Down to the Bone"), and Amanda Warman ("The Outs,"Whatever This Is"). Two of the series participating are currently in post-production, and will be making their online debut in the coming months – Rachel Morgan’s Middle Americans, starring Scott Thompson, Carlen Altman, and Alex Rennie, and Daniel Zimbler and Elisabeth Gray’s Understudies, starring Richard Kind and David Rasche. [p Spotlight On Documentaries Highlights
The documentary selection includes new work from seasoned non-fiction directors such as Emmy winners Robert Bahar andAlmudena Carracedo ("Made in La"), Pamela Yates ("Granito: How to Nail a Dictator"),Ramona Diaz ("Imelda," "Don’t Stop Believin’") Gini Reticker ("Pray the Devil Back to Hell") Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle"); from producers such as Court 13’s Benh Zeitlin and Dan Janvey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Liran Atzmor ("The Law in These Parts"), Tim Williams ("Once In A Lifetime") and Hilla Medalia ("Web Junkie"), and follow-up second features from recent doc world “breakouts”Steve Hoover ("Blood Brother") Penny Lane ("Our Nixon"), Michael Collins ("Give Up Tomorrow"), and Michael Nichols and Christopher Walker ("Flex is Kings").
Exciting new work from debut documentary directors previously known for fiction films include Alex Sichel ("All over Me") with her personal doc The Movie about Anna, Lisa Cortés (producer, "Precious") with "Mothership: The Untold Story of Women and Hip Hop," and Daniel Patrick Carbone ("Hide Your Smiling Faces") with Phantom Cowboys.
Sponsors
Independent Film Week’s Premier sponsors are Royal Bank of Canada (Rbc) and HBO. Gold sponsors are A&E IndieFilms and SAGIndie. Silver sponsors are Durga Entertainment, Eastman Kodak Company, National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and Telefilm Canada. Official Independent Film Week Partner is Film Society of Lincoln Center. Independent Film Week is supported, in part, by funds provided by the Ford Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts and Time Warner Foundation.
About Ifp
The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Ifp represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, Ifp has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.
- 7/25/2014
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Top brass at the Independent Filmmaker Project announced on Monday (9) the 10 narrative features selected for the 2014 Independent Filmmaker Labs.
The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a nationwide pool of more than 150 submissions, are attending the first session of the program – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – taking place this week in New York.
The 2014 Labs mark the 10th anniversary edition of the mentorship programme.
The scheme was established in 2005 by Filmmaker Magazine’s editor-in-chief Scott Macaulay as a three-day event for eight narrative projects and has evolved under the leadership of head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot into a year-round process for 20 projects – 10 documentaries and 10 narratives.
The ninth documentary lab took place recently (pictured).
As an extension of the Labs programme, Ifp has launched First Run to host week-long theatrical releases at the Made In NY Media Center by Ifp this autumn.
“We are thrilled...
The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a nationwide pool of more than 150 submissions, are attending the first session of the program – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – taking place this week in New York.
The 2014 Labs mark the 10th anniversary edition of the mentorship programme.
The scheme was established in 2005 by Filmmaker Magazine’s editor-in-chief Scott Macaulay as a three-day event for eight narrative projects and has evolved under the leadership of head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot into a year-round process for 20 projects – 10 documentaries and 10 narratives.
The ninth documentary lab took place recently (pictured).
As an extension of the Labs programme, Ifp has launched First Run to host week-long theatrical releases at the Made In NY Media Center by Ifp this autumn.
“We are thrilled...
- 6/9/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Top brass at the Independent Filmmaker Project announced on Monday (9) the 10 narrative features selected for the 2014 Independent Filmmaker Labs.
The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a nationwide pool of more than 150 submissions, are attending the first session of the program – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – taking place this week in New York.
The 2014 Labs mark the 10th anniversary edition of the mentorship programme.
The scheme was established in 2005 by Filmmaker Magazine’s editor-in-chief Scott Macaulay as a three-day event for eight narrative projects and has evolved under the leadership of head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot into a year-round process for 20 projects – 10 documentaries and 10 narratives.
The ninth documentary lab took place recently (pictured).
As an extension of the Labs programme, Ifp has launched First Run to host week-long theatrical releases at the Made In NY Media Center by Ifp this autumn.
“We are thrilled...
The creative teams of the selected films, chosen from a nationwide pool of more than 150 submissions, are attending the first session of the program – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – taking place this week in New York.
The 2014 Labs mark the 10th anniversary edition of the mentorship programme.
The scheme was established in 2005 by Filmmaker Magazine’s editor-in-chief Scott Macaulay as a three-day event for eight narrative projects and has evolved under the leadership of head of programming Amy Dotson and senior director of programming Milton Tabbot into a year-round process for 20 projects – 10 documentaries and 10 narratives.
The ninth documentary lab took place recently (pictured).
As an extension of the Labs programme, Ifp has launched First Run to host week-long theatrical releases at the Made In NY Media Center by Ifp this autumn.
“We are thrilled...
- 6/9/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Filmmaker, Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp), and The Museum of Modern Art announce today the five films chosen for the organization’s annual Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You series, running November 15 – 18 in MoMA’s Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2. They are: Eddie Mullins’ Doomsdays; Kevin Jerome Everson’s The Island of St. Matthews; Eliza Hittman’s It Felt Like Love; Aaron Douglas Johnston’s My Sister’s Quinceanera and Benjamin Greené’s Survival Prayer. As always, Filmmaker editors (myself, Nick Dawson, Brandon Harris, Alicia Van Couvering and Ray Pride), the Ifp’s Milton Tabbot and, new this year, MoMA’s Sophie Cavoulacos have […]...
- 11/7/2013
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Filmmaker, Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp), and The Museum of Modern Art announce today the five films chosen for the organization’s annual Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You series, running November 15 – 18 in MoMA’s Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2. They are: Eddie Mullins’ Doomsdays; Kevin Jerome Everson’s The Island of St. Matthews; Eliza Hittman’s It Felt Like Love; Aaron Douglas Johnston’s My Sister’s Quinceanera and Benjamin Greené’s Survival Prayer. As always, Filmmaker editors (myself, Nick Dawson, Brandon Harris, Alicia Van Couvering and Ray Pride), the Ifp’s Milton Tabbot and, new this year, MoMA’s Sophie Cavoulacos have […]...
- 11/7/2013
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
If you’re in New York this weekend head over to the Museum of Modern Art for the museum and Filmmaker‘s annual screenings of the nominees for our “Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You” Gotham Award. Playing are Terence Nance’s wildly inventive doc/fiction relationship deconstruction, An Oversimplification of her Beauty (pictured); Amy Semitz’s psycho-noir romance, Sun Don’t Shine; Alex Karpovsky’s real-life filmmaker comedy, Red Flag; the Zellner Brothers darkly humorous metaphysical exploration, Kid-Thing; and Frank V. Ross’s subtle and affecting relationship drama, Tiger Tail in Blue. I’ll be joining Nick Dawson, Alicia Van Couvering, MoMA”s Josh Siegel and the Ifp’s Milton Tabbot to intro and do Q&A’s with the filmmakers and actors. The complete schedule is here at the link.
At Indiewire, Eric Kohn previews the program and includes individual assessments of the films. From...
At Indiewire, Eric Kohn previews the program and includes individual assessments of the films. From...
- 11/17/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
In the late spring of 2000, I found myself across a desk from one Milton Tabbot (currently Ifp’s Senior Director of Programming, for the unfamiliar) in an office plastered with movie posters in the West Twenties. I was a few months away from finishing college and, unsure of what exactly to do with myself, had applied on a whim to a position at an organization called the Ifp. I wasn’t sure exactly what this shadowy group did, but I knew I’d heard of it; the job was a marketing gig, and involved a big upcoming event called the Independent Feature Film Market (Iffm). Even though I was about to pick up a degree in the not-terribly-related arena of semiotics, I thought it couldn’t hurt to put my hat in the ring.
A few weeks after sending in my resume, I came home to find a message from Milton on my machine.
A few weeks after sending in my resume, I came home to find a message from Milton on my machine.
- 9/20/2012
- by Jeff Reichert
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
In the early 80s a small group of filmmakers, including myself, under the invitation of Sandra Schulberg gathered at NYC's 92nd Street 'Y' to found a filmmaker-run and oriented organization to facilitate networking and 'to give us a voice'. I am still very happy with the result as seen in today's 34th edition of Independent Film Week.
Ifp is announcing its industry activities for the 34th edition of Independent Film Week, as well as the 2012 slate of 165 new films in development selected for its esteemed Project Forum.
Independent Film Week takes place September 16-20, 2012 at various locations throughout Lincoln Center and is a one-of-a-kind event that brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new voices and projects on the independent scene. The event is purely focused on supporting the future of storytelling by nurturing and providing opportunities for both emerging and established artists to connect with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences.
Expanding from its core mission Ifp's Film Week has been re-focused to ensure that artists, industry and audiences have the educational, networking and access opportunities necessary to create and enjoy work across a variety of platforms. The Week provides multiple ways for the independent film and media communities to come together.
These include:
•Project Forum which facilitates over 2,000 meetings for talent with new projects in development;
•Future Forward Industry Initiatives allow established professionals to meet to discuss new opportunities in creative media, as well as debate key issues critical to the future of visual storytelling;
•Filmmaker Conference Offering audiences the opportunity to discuss the future of film;
•Filmmaker Magazine - Celebrating tomorrow’s filmmakers today through Ifp’s signature publication, celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year.
“Ifp is proud to present this year’s Independent Film Week, which includes a truly original, exciting, and diverse slate of U.S. and international projects that are sure to pique the interest of our attending industry friends,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, Ifp. “Not only does Film Week remain an important space for filmmakers with unique vision to connect with industry and peers, but it is also a destination for aspiring filmmakers and film fans alike to explore the art and business of 21st century storytelling with the Filmmaker Conference.”
Project Forum
Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programmer Milton Tabbot, Ifp’s Project Forum has had a prolific history in the independent community supporting independent filmmakers at critical stages in their development processes. 165 U.S. and International projects have been selected for the 2012 Project Forum, evenly split between documentary and narrative features. Projects hail from the U.S., throughout Europe and Canada, as well Australia, Columbia, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.
For A Full List Of 2012 Selected Projects:
http://www.ifp.org/resources/2012-project-forumslate/
This year’s selection of docs includes a range of stories equally divided among - and embedded within - the American political and social landscape, the international scene, history, and the arts world – with new projects from an exciting lineup of new and established indie filmmakers.
In addition, SAG Indie’s Emerging Narrative Reading will highlight short excerpts from new work by upand-coming writer/directors, featuring a live reading from leading independent actors cast by Paul Schnee and Alison Estrin of Barden/ Schnee Casting (Winter’s Bone, The Help).
The Ifp organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Cohen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. Recently, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene.
Future Forward Industry Initiatives
Film Week also consists of a number of initiatives aimed at expanding the networks and educating established film and media professionals on issues prevalent within the art and business of 21st Century storytelling and audience engagement.
• Ifp Producer of Marketing & Distribution Labs - Ifp & director Jon Reiss (Bomb It!) have created the world’s first Producer of Marketing & Development (Pmd) Labs, a six month fellowship providing select producers, marketing and digital strategists the tools and networks necessary to create a audience engagement strategy for select feature films from Ifp’s 2012 Independent Filmmaker Labs.
• Ifp’s Festival Forum - Launched in 2010 at Ifp’s Independent Film Week, Ifp’s Festival Forum network is a bi-annual convening of over 45 top festival programmers and leaders from around the globe. The purpose of this two-day event is to create an infrastructure where festivals around the world can come together to discuss issues and trends affecting their organizations, audiences, and filmmakers, as well as discover new work by up-and-coming filmmakers to include in their upcoming festival slates.
• New International Partners & Initiatives - Ifp is pleased to announce new international partnerships and initiatives with a variety of funding bodies and cultural around the globe, providing a myriad of new creative and business opportunities for Ifp’s emerging and established talent. This includes producers and executives attending on behalf of the Dubai Film Market, Torino Film Lab, Turkey’s Meetings On The Bridge, Columbia’s ProImagines will all be presenting partners of Ifp’s No Borders International CoProduction Market.
Filmmaker Conference
Held during Ifp’s signature Independent Film Week, the Filmmaker Conference brings together the international filmmaking community to explore the art and business of 21st century storytelling. Whether stories are told through film, television, online, or new media, the Filmmaker Conference is the premiere place for to interact with experts on how to connect with audiences to make the most of your films.
For the latest Conference schedule and to purchase tickets: http://www.ifp.org/conferences/filmmakerconference
About Ifp
After debuting with a program in 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit Ifp has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premiere advocate for them. Since its start Ifp has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers – voices that might not otherwise have been heard. Ifp fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program.
Ifp is announcing its industry activities for the 34th edition of Independent Film Week, as well as the 2012 slate of 165 new films in development selected for its esteemed Project Forum.
Independent Film Week takes place September 16-20, 2012 at various locations throughout Lincoln Center and is a one-of-a-kind event that brings the international film and media community to New York City to advance new voices and projects on the independent scene. The event is purely focused on supporting the future of storytelling by nurturing and providing opportunities for both emerging and established artists to connect with the financiers, executives, influencers and decision-makers in film, television, new media and cross-platform storytelling that can help them complete their latest works and connect with audiences.
Expanding from its core mission Ifp's Film Week has been re-focused to ensure that artists, industry and audiences have the educational, networking and access opportunities necessary to create and enjoy work across a variety of platforms. The Week provides multiple ways for the independent film and media communities to come together.
These include:
•Project Forum which facilitates over 2,000 meetings for talent with new projects in development;
•Future Forward Industry Initiatives allow established professionals to meet to discuss new opportunities in creative media, as well as debate key issues critical to the future of visual storytelling;
•Filmmaker Conference Offering audiences the opportunity to discuss the future of film;
•Filmmaker Magazine - Celebrating tomorrow’s filmmakers today through Ifp’s signature publication, celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year.
“Ifp is proud to present this year’s Independent Film Week, which includes a truly original, exciting, and diverse slate of U.S. and international projects that are sure to pique the interest of our attending industry friends,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, Ifp. “Not only does Film Week remain an important space for filmmakers with unique vision to connect with industry and peers, but it is also a destination for aspiring filmmakers and film fans alike to explore the art and business of 21st century storytelling with the Filmmaker Conference.”
Project Forum
Under the curatorial leadership of Deputy Director/Head of Programming Amy Dotson & Senior Director of Programmer Milton Tabbot, Ifp’s Project Forum has had a prolific history in the independent community supporting independent filmmakers at critical stages in their development processes. 165 U.S. and International projects have been selected for the 2012 Project Forum, evenly split between documentary and narrative features. Projects hail from the U.S., throughout Europe and Canada, as well Australia, Columbia, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.
For A Full List Of 2012 Selected Projects:
http://www.ifp.org/resources/2012-project-forumslate/
This year’s selection of docs includes a range of stories equally divided among - and embedded within - the American political and social landscape, the international scene, history, and the arts world – with new projects from an exciting lineup of new and established indie filmmakers.
In addition, SAG Indie’s Emerging Narrative Reading will highlight short excerpts from new work by upand-coming writer/directors, featuring a live reading from leading independent actors cast by Paul Schnee and Alison Estrin of Barden/ Schnee Casting (Winter’s Bone, The Help).
The Ifp organization championed the early work of pioneering independent filmmakers Charles Burnett, Todd Haynes, Mira Nair, Michael Moore, Joel and Ethan Cohen, Kevin Smith, and Todd Solondz. Recently, it has also played a vital role in launching the first films of many of today’s rising stars on the independent scene.
Future Forward Industry Initiatives
Film Week also consists of a number of initiatives aimed at expanding the networks and educating established film and media professionals on issues prevalent within the art and business of 21st Century storytelling and audience engagement.
• Ifp Producer of Marketing & Distribution Labs - Ifp & director Jon Reiss (Bomb It!) have created the world’s first Producer of Marketing & Development (Pmd) Labs, a six month fellowship providing select producers, marketing and digital strategists the tools and networks necessary to create a audience engagement strategy for select feature films from Ifp’s 2012 Independent Filmmaker Labs.
• Ifp’s Festival Forum - Launched in 2010 at Ifp’s Independent Film Week, Ifp’s Festival Forum network is a bi-annual convening of over 45 top festival programmers and leaders from around the globe. The purpose of this two-day event is to create an infrastructure where festivals around the world can come together to discuss issues and trends affecting their organizations, audiences, and filmmakers, as well as discover new work by up-and-coming filmmakers to include in their upcoming festival slates.
• New International Partners & Initiatives - Ifp is pleased to announce new international partnerships and initiatives with a variety of funding bodies and cultural around the globe, providing a myriad of new creative and business opportunities for Ifp’s emerging and established talent. This includes producers and executives attending on behalf of the Dubai Film Market, Torino Film Lab, Turkey’s Meetings On The Bridge, Columbia’s ProImagines will all be presenting partners of Ifp’s No Borders International CoProduction Market.
Filmmaker Conference
Held during Ifp’s signature Independent Film Week, the Filmmaker Conference brings together the international filmmaking community to explore the art and business of 21st century storytelling. Whether stories are told through film, television, online, or new media, the Filmmaker Conference is the premiere place for to interact with experts on how to connect with audiences to make the most of your films.
For the latest Conference schedule and to purchase tickets: http://www.ifp.org/conferences/filmmakerconference
About Ifp
After debuting with a program in 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit Ifp has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premiere advocate for them. Since its start Ifp has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers – voices that might not otherwise have been heard. Ifp fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program.
- 9/18/2012
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
A recurring topic all last week at Ifp’s Marketing and Distribution Labs was how indie filmmakers can get the most out of their film’s release, both monetarily and in terms of marketing. Friday morning the conversation turned granular (but no less interesting) with lab leaders Jon Reiss, Amy Dotson, and Milton Tabbot discussing the pros and cons of various forms of merchandising.
Stressed repeatedly – the key thing to remember is that each film requires a distinct merchandising campaign. Think about your film’s core audience, and what kinds of products they would most likely be interested in. Then plan accordingly.
Here’s a list of merchandising opportunities that filmmakers should consider when taking their film out on the festival (or screening) circuit.
Sell DVDs at Screenings
If you’ve already had DVDs pressed by the time your film is screening, you should seriously consider selling them directly to the audience after the film.
Stressed repeatedly – the key thing to remember is that each film requires a distinct merchandising campaign. Think about your film’s core audience, and what kinds of products they would most likely be interested in. Then plan accordingly.
Here’s a list of merchandising opportunities that filmmakers should consider when taking their film out on the festival (or screening) circuit.
Sell DVDs at Screenings
If you’ve already had DVDs pressed by the time your film is screening, you should seriously consider selling them directly to the audience after the film.
- 12/10/2011
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
There was an elephant in the room during day one of Ifp’s annual Marketing and Distribution Labs, and that elephant’s name was Sundance. The majority of the Lab’s 21 attending filmmakers submitted applications earlier this year, each one hoping and secretly sort of expecting an acceptance letter. What they all received instead was a courteous but crushing rejection.
Today’s afternoon session started out as something of a venting session. As the lab leaders tried to reassure these first-time filmmakers that their careers were not over, that they had many options still on the table, the mood in the room only seemed to worsen. Then, one filmmaker raised her hand and asked a question: “But what should we do when we actually are accepted into a festival?”
Yes, Sundance unfortunately only accepts a tiny fraction of the films that apply each year. But there are festivals – hundreds of festivals both in the U.
Today’s afternoon session started out as something of a venting session. As the lab leaders tried to reassure these first-time filmmakers that their careers were not over, that they had many options still on the table, the mood in the room only seemed to worsen. Then, one filmmaker raised her hand and asked a question: “But what should we do when we actually are accepted into a festival?”
Yes, Sundance unfortunately only accepts a tiny fraction of the films that apply each year. But there are festivals – hundreds of festivals both in the U.
- 12/10/2011
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When writer-director Tom Kalin brought his first feature, "Swoon," to the Independent Feature Project's 1991 Independent Feature Film Market, he recalls attending "a charming, homespun affair" with his fellow producers, Christine Vachon and James Schamus. While there, a three-minute reel of "Swoon's" best images and moments at the market captured the attention of acquisitions execs from Fine Line and PBS' "American Playhouse." As a result, Kalin headed off to Sundance the following January with the film presold and on its way to being viewed as a milestone of "new queer cinema."That was then. Today, the Big Apple's Ifp market celebrates its 30th anniversary with a new name -- Independent Film Week, running Sept. 14-19 -- and is a mix of old visions and new strategies. Through the years, however, Ifp's goal has remained consistent: to open doors and create possibilities for aspiring filmmakers with plenty of talent but little money and few connections.
- 9/15/2008
- by Andrew O'Hehir
- backstage.com
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